five years

This past Friday marked our fifth year of marriage. 5 years! I remember us talking about our 5th anniversary after we got married and it feeling like it was so far away, but, then BAM! it's here. I am so overwhelmed with how fortunate I am to be married to Nicholas. He truly treats me like his equal partner and we still enjoy spending every day together. He respects me, inspires me, supports me, and makes me laugh. He is my sounding board, my movie date, and my best friend. While we have our struggles (just like every couple), he is still the only person I want to come home to and the only person I can imagine spending my life with. I am so lucky that he picked me. Out of the whole world, he chose me and I am elated that he did :)

I remember the day of the wedding so vividly, I was in our hotel room putting on my makeup, getting my dress on, and waiting to leave for the ceremony. My mom and maid of honor, Karlan, were with me and our photographer was fluttering about taking photos as we all got ready. I don't remember being nervous, but I'm sure that I was (at least a little). It was a gorgeous Florida day and I kept thinking, "I'm getting married today!" It was a relaxed day and I was so excited to get to that altar and become Nick's wife. I can honestly say that I am still excited to be his wife, even after all these days :)

This time five years ago, I was with my brand new husband in St. Augustine enjoying authentic cuban picadillo, sangria, spanish almond cookies, and lots of relaxation. We had so much fun taking in the city and spending our days walking through historic sites and browsing little shops. A perfect way to spend our first few days as a married couple! 

This last Friday? Our day was a little different :) We woke up to a baby's cries at 5:30 and once Alden was back asleep, Nick cuddled up to me in bed and whispered, "Happy Anniversary", gave me a kiss on the cheek and we went back to sleep. Alden woke up again at 6:30 and we started our day. Me nursing the baby, taking a shower, and getting dressed. Nick getting Alden his breakfast, feeding the dogs, and cleaning up the kitchen a little. I changed a dirty diaper and got Alden ready for school, Nick took a shower and we were out the door. School drop off, walk to work, a quick kiss to say goodbye and then a normal Friday. Although we did have one of our favorite meals on the menu for this weekend (shrimp and grits) and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate :) I'm also going to make us some strawberry cupcakes with fresh, in season strawberries that I grabbed this week. We had strawberry cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream (among other flavors) and little sour candies on top at our wedding so I'm going to recreate this favorite of Nick's as our celebratory dessert.

Once the weather warms up, we're going to spend a couple of days without the little one (not far from home, probably in Atlanta) since we feel like our 5th anniversary deserves some extra celebration than usual. We're going to go to one of the restaurants we've been dying to go to, hang out by a pool, maybe get a massage or pedicure and just relax together. My parents are going to come over and watch Alden for the night so we can have some couple time together. We saved some Christmas money for this weekend and we're excited to get some time away :)

I can't imagine a better man to walk beside on the journey of my life and am so lucky to have Nicholas as my partner. He is a better father to Alden than I could have imagined and I look forward to whatever life brings our way. We are having a wonderful time! :)

Happy Anniversary, Nicholas. You're my favorite and I love you. 

much love, L&N